Rom Gains Strong Industry Momentum in European PMMA Recycling Alliance

The alliance provides advanced collection and sorting systems for PMMA waste, as well as mechanical recycling options and future chemical recycling options. This enables the recovery of high-quality raw materials suitable for use in virgin-grade standard products.

“We are pleased that our joint initiative has invigorated the market."Heiko Pfister, Managing Director of Pekutherm, said."Several PMMA processors are fortunate to now be able to use recycling systems within Europe and are increasingly avoiding exports outside the EU.

For a long time, Röhm has been collaborating with various partners on targeted projects to advance the circular economy of PMMA, particularly in the automotive industry. In collaboration with the consortium The Future Is NEUTRAL™, comprising suppliers Valeo and the Renault Group, a prototype of car taillights made from recycled PMMA has been developed. The Future Is NEUTRAL™ provided discarded taillights, Röhm created a new material formulation containing 30% mechanically recycled components, and Valeo used these materials to produce the demonstrators. Röhm will showcase the prototype at the K Fair this October.

The second round of testing using chemically recycled tail lights is already in the works.We hope to leverage the activities and expertise of our recycling alliance to directly compare two recycling methods."Sven Schröbel, the sustainability management director of the ROM molding plastics division, said."

The collaboration between Valeo and The Future Is NEUTRAL™ represents an important milestone on the successful path of the circular economy in the automotive industry—an effort also driven by EU regulatory initiatives. For example, the European Parliament recently voted in favor of amending the End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation (ELVR), with the latest draft requiring that future vehicles must contain at least 20% of plastics derived from post-consumer waste. To provide manufacturers with greater flexibility, the use of pre-consumer recycled materials can meet up to 50% of the quota.

As a founding member of the recycling alliance, Rom is fully capable of supporting automotive industry clients and making a positive contribution to the transition towards a more sustainable plastics industry.

The Future Is NEUTRAL™ is a consortium established by the Renault Group, aimed at promoting the principles of the circular economy in the automotive industry. Its mission is to significantly increase the share of recycled materials in new cars through technological innovation, industrial-scale solutions, and cross-sector collaboration.